Can Dying Snails Cause A Large Spike???

kjreiniger

New member
I recently purchased a Clean Up Package through the internet. It contained about 100 assorted snails and 75 crabs. I acclimated over 1 1/2 hrs and then placed them into the tank with the lights out. The next day the crabs and snails had noticeably relocated throughout the tank. A few snails had remained in the same location. Some of my pre-existing hermits decided to start flipping over shells and by this morning (2 days later) they had 3 or 4 snails torn apart or emptied.

Now my candy cane coral, mushrooms, and 1-week old Anemone look withered or closed. Xenia, polyps, toadstool, are fine. Alk is 2.75 meq/L and Calcium is 420-430. Is it possible that these snails are causing a spike in nitrates of some sort?

The only recent things that I have changed are salt, from Instant Ocean to Reef Crystals and a slow decline of 2-part solution (from 15 mL each/day to every other day).

Any other experiences with snails dying off causing havoc within the tank??????
 
Anything dying will cause nitrate spike. A handful shouldn't be a HUGE problem in a 60G system, but a water change won't hurt.
 
I did two (2) 10-gallon changes over a 6-hour period. SHould I do more??? My nitrates have been hovering at around 10-20 ppm for a few weeks or so as I have been working on getting the system stable. Also, the TDS meter on the DI read 11ppm. Ordered new filters but is this too high??? The tap has 240ppm and I used to use this over a year ago.

This is the 2nd time within the year that snails have done this. The last time I got a bad batch of 10 snails from the LFS....it seems as though there is a domino affect as a result.
 
If alk, calcium, salinity, temp, lights, nitrates are all relatively stable what else would cause the coral agitation? Maybe change in salt but it was from IO to Reef Crystals which should make the water better supposedly.
 
Make sure you have no fish is MIA. havent seen that fish you just released in tank for few days ago and forgot you put it in there maybe?
 
All fish accounted for, 2 Anthias, 1 Yellow Tang, 1 Coral Beauty, 2 Chromis, 1 Maroon in the sump. All snails have been placed right side up and larger crabs have been moved to the sump.
 
Looks like the calcium might have been a little lower than originally thought....400ppm. "I was way off" Dosed Part 2, 15mL twice in a few hours. Looking better as the candy canes are looking a bit better
 
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